Title: the day after
Rating: T
Fandom: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Relationship: Ephraim/Innes
Wordcount: 1096
Short summary: The day after Ephraim and Innes gets married, Ephraim looks for Innes and finds him with paperwork!
“Mmm…”
Ephraim hums as he wakes up slowly after one of the best sleeps he has had in a long time. Sure, he has been exhausted like that before after a long day of battle, but he never slept well, knowing that he might need to wake up and move at any time. But after last night’s activities, although he did not necessarily have sweet dreams, he had fallen asleep peacefully knowing that he wouldn’t have to wake up to fight. Unless, of course, Innes decided he was in the mood for some… Speaking of Innes, Ephraim sighs in disappointment when he finds the spot next to him in the bed empty. Sure, the sun is coming in from high in the sky, suggesting it’s likely noon or so, and maybe waking up so late doesn’t suit Innes as much as Ephraim, but the least his new husband could do is stay in bed with Ephraim, right?
Ephraim sits up and groans, feeling a bit of discomfort in his backside. Perhaps they had gone a little overboard last night, but even so Ephraim has no regrets. He contemplates using a vulnerary to dull the pain but then shakes his head. Yes, they haven’t fought a war in over 5 years, but he still shouldn’t be wasteful. Innes would certainly give him an earful.
Well, if Innes isn’t here he must be somewhere close by, right? Ephraim slips out of the bed and finds some simple clothes to dress in, enough to be considered “not offensive” should Ephraim have to meet someone other than Innes on his way to finding Innes. He does take a moment to appreciate the marks on his chest; perhaps Innes would blush crimson seeing just how much “damage” he had done to Ephraim’s skin.
After properly smoothing out his tunic, Ephraim tiptoes across the room to the door that connected the bedroom to the office area. It shouldn’t be a surprise to find Innes sitting at the desk, pen in hand, marking up a stack of papers, but yet upon seeing this Ephraim sighed loudly.
“Why would you bring work with you on our honeymoon?” Ephraim complains as he crossed the distance, causing Innes to look up at him sternly.
“Just because we had a marriage ceremony yesterday, it doesn’t mean our work stops,” Innes replies. He does pause working to accept Ephraim’s hands on his shoulders, before turning his face back to the papers.
Ephraim groans. “You’re serious.”
“Of course.” Innes is marking another draft agreement between the merchants in Renais and Frelia. “If I wasn’t this marriage would be a disaster.”
It’s both a compliment and an insult. A compliment in the sense that Innes is truly serious about making this marriage work and an insult in the sense that Ephraim’s rule would be horrendous without him. Ephraim doesn’t think he would be as bad as Innes fears, but he wouldn’t be so good at that administrative stuff. He’s willing to admit that much. “It would be a paperwork mess, at least.”
Innes stiffens when Ephraim squeezes his shoulders. “Don’t talk so flippantly. While you were busy impressing everyone with your muscles, I was the one persuaded all the old ministers how this marriage would be beneficial to both countries and worth the scandal.”
Ephraim freezes. They had agreed to “divide and conquer” to gain support in order to make the marriage happen smoothly, and Ephraim thought rallying popular support from the soldiers and the common people had been helpful. Maybe it had been, but he didn’t really think about the scandal part.
“I didn’t think about that.” This whole time he hadn’t thought once about the fact that no one asked him why he wasn’t marrying Tana instead, if it was just to secure a lifelong alliance between Renais and Frelia.
Innes sighs. “I didn’t want you to.”
“Innes?”
Innes drops his pen, forces Ephraim’s hands off him, and shifts so he faces Ephraim directly. “You haven’t been happy in such a long time, because...” Innes pauses, but Ephraim know it is about him. Ephraim can’t help the pang of sadness. Innes notices, of course. He bites his lip and quietly adds, “I didn’t want it to go away.”
“Innes…” Ephraim reaches out to touch Innes’ right cheek first with his left index finger before sliding his entire left hand against Innes’ face, cupping it gently. The touch of metal, of his wedding ring, against Innes’ skin is deliberate. “You know I would have still been happy,” Ephraim says as his fingertips reach towards Innes’ ear. “Because I would be with you.”
Innes’ cheeks are starting to turn pink. “If you say so.”
Ephraim drops his hand and laughs heartily. It’s not necessarily funny, but rather it feels ridiculous that of all things, after all they did yesterday and the months leading up to yesterday, that Innes shows vulnerability here? “I married you!” Ephraim shouts as Innes’ mouth hardens into a scowl. “I can’t believe I’m saying this right now, but have more confidence in yourself.”
Innes’ scowl softens back into a smile. “Ephraim…” He shakes his head. “This is silly.”
“Yes.” He glances at the paperwork briefly. “You doing paperwork is silly. Come on up here.”
Innes’ smile widens. “I guess I can indulge for a little bit.”
Ephraim takes a step back to give Innes the space to stand up, before taking a half step back towards Innes and wrapping his arms around Innes’ waist. He tilts his face until their foreheads touch and grins. “How about, if they get mad, we let everyone know how much worse it would be if they angered their new kings?”
Innes chuckles. “Oh, that would be no good at all.”
“Then said kings should be allowed to spend time alone enjoying themselves, right?” Ephraim says with a smirk.
“Of course… Wait!”
Ephraim whines. He’s convinced Innes to step away from the paperwork, so can’t they just get to enjoying themselves already?
“Not here,” Innes continues, turning his face away so Ephraim can’t kiss his mouth. “If we mess up that paperwork pile I will not forgive you.”
That isn’t a no to enjoyment, right? “Then back to the bed?”
Innes doesn’t deem that worthy of a verbal response, but Ephraim doesn’t mind when he is dragged enthusiastically back to the bedroom and shoved down onto the bed. And he definitely doesn’t mind when they continue last night’s activities…
(Ephraim might have trouble walking later, but that isn’t something he’s thinking about right now, not when Innes kisses him like this…)